


Blindly Looking Out

by JustAndrea



Category: Wander Over Yonder
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Ryder has trust issues, alien swear words, along with honesty issues, lots of references to 'The Rider'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 08:43:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8617333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: Above all else, always be looking out for number one - cause no one else is gonna do it for ya!’ That was his motto, and that was the belief he always went by - no matter how wrong it might’ve been.





	

As soon as she arrived at their campsite, Ryder could feel her glaring at him - her intense gaze being even stronger than the heat of the campfire in front of him. If looks could maim, he was certain he’d be black and blue by now. But he just had to play it cool... She was already mad, he couldn’t deny that, nor could he make her any less angry (not yet, at least). He just had to focus on not saying the wrong thing and making her angrier...

“I made sure to gather up the food we swiped earlier,” he slowly started to say, keeping his head neutral - not looking at her, but not actively trying to avoid her either- “And uh, heh, can you believe some bozo didn’t put a fence up around his carrot garden? Guess it just makes things easier for us, huh?”

His partner still didn’t say a word, though he could hear her tail brushing back and forth against the dirt. When he dared to glance over at her, he only got a low, disapproving growl.

“...So, uh... You, want me to set up the tent for tonight?”

Her tail froze. “...Yeah, sure,” she replied after a moment, her voice managing a neutral tone, “Though, on second thought, maybe I should do it. After all, if you’re the one setting it up, you may just up and decide to only make it big enough for yourself!”

Ryder winced. Yeesh. Okay, bad move. Minor set-back. “Alright, I deserved that one. But- ...Okay, Syl, it was-”

“Don’t you ‘But, Syl’ me!” Sylvia snapped at him, standing up now. Between her clenched fists and her fully extended neck- ...Well, Ryder quickly decided that it was probably a good idea to back up and give her a bit of space.

The Zbornak sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Flab drassit, Ryder, I just- We’re supposed to be partners for cryin’ out loud!”

“Hey hey, we _are_ partners!” the thief argued before he could stop himself, earning him another stern glare.

“Well it don’t exactly feel like we are when you decide to run off and I’m stuck havin’ to find a way out of there myself!”

She did have a bit of a point. ...But- “But it’s not like I do that every time a plan starts to go south! I only do it when I have to! When things are gettin’ really bad!”

“YOU SHOULDN’T DO IT AT ALL!” Sylvia yelled. Her voice echoed around the dirt covered valley for a few moments. A large stick in their fire splintered before finally breaking. Not knowing what to say for once, Ryder sighed, running a hand through his long hair.

“...You know I wouldn’t do it if I thought it would be puttin’ you in any real danger, right?” he said finally, not even bothering to try and make it sound convincing. Even he knew it was a weak argument.

Sylvia lightly shook her head, and with a huff, she sat down in the dirt. “...Ryder, we were being chased by that planet’s royal army. Not just cops, but actual highly-trained guards! I’d call that pretty flarping dangerous.”

“Yeah... But I’m sure you would’ve still been able to take them all out.” Unable to help herself, Sylvia gave a small smile at the hidden compliment. After a moment Ryder started to smile along with her. “Besides, you’re the one who comes up with most of our escape plans. I do the schemes, you do the exits. That’s what makes us such a good team, right?”

“Yeah yeah,” Sylvia said, trying to wave him off and act annoyed, but Ryder could always tell. He also decided it was safe enough to move a couple inches closer, and once they were beside each other, he gave her a light punch in the arm. 

“And hey,” the bluenette continued, “We both that if there was ever an escaping competition between the two of us, you’d have my butt beat! Probably in record time too!”

Sylvia snorted. “That’s only because I actually think beyond ‘What can I steal?’ and don’t just make a run for it in the opposite direction when the sirens start blaring,” she smirked.

Ryder just shrugged. “Hey, I can’t help it that I just go on instinct. I mean, it’s gotten me this far, didn’t it?”

“Yeahhh but, you would’ve gotten even farther if you didn’t keep ending up in jail cells,” she grinned, deciding to return the punch he’d given her earlier (making it just a bit harder than his, just to be fair), “And don’t forget, I had to break you out of your last jail cell.”

“My point exactly,” he told her, taking a moment to rub his arm, “Look... I know it’s not right to just leave you hangin’ when grop really starts to go down, but-” 

_But I can’t help it._

_But what if you end up being the one to leave ME hanging?_

_But what if I don’t have a choice?_

“-but I know you’ll always be able to get yourself out of it.” He gave her another smile. “The roughest, toughest, punchiest Zbornak in the universe.”

“...” Sylvia sighed. He knew his words and his excuses weren’t exactly the most fair or the most right. ...But at least they were genuine. 

“Alright, yeah, I know. And yeah, I’m sure I could find my way out of most bad situations-” Zbornaks were known for being stubborn and determined, after all. “But, it’s still nice to have a little back-up, you know?” She looked him in the eyes, trying her hardest to look through his dark visor and actually see his eyes. “And besides, having someone beside you when you’ve got trouble chasin’ after you is a heck of a lot better than being alone, even if you know you can handle it.”

He stared back at her for a few moments before nodding. “Yeah, alright, I get ya. ...And like I said, we’re still partners. ...We _are_ still partners-” He held out his hand. “Right, Syl?”

“...Yeah.” She took his hand, tightly gripping it and giving a firm shake. “Partners. Just no more bailing, got it?”

“Yeah yeah, I got it,” Ryder smiled, clearly relieved that this whole incident was ready to be put behind them. And, in a way, Sylvia was too despite still feeling a bit of annoyance towards her partner. But, it was like she had said: Better than being alone.

As more and more stars came out and their fire continued to burn, they kept the conversation light by remembering successful adventures and making fun of various folks that they had met and messed with. However, just as their night started coming to a close and the two of them had crawled inside their tent, Ryder decided to finally bring up a little schedule adjustment he had found out about a couple planets ago.

“A banking ship?” Sylvia repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Ryder nodded. “Yep. From what I heard, they had to change direction to avoid runnin’ into some gang. The Seeing-Dogs or somethin’ stupid like that. Anyway, the thing’s gotta be full of credits, right? And we wouldn’t even have to make a big scene outta it! We just gotta sneak on board, break into one of the cases of cash they got on there, stuff our pockets, and we’ll be livin’ on flarpin’ easy street for the next year!”

The Zbornak hummed. It certainly sounded appealing, especially since they didn’t get any cash from their last scam. But even so... “Which nebula did you say it was going through?”

“Uhh, the Ynga nebula I think?” “Thaaat’s what I thought. I’m pretty sure that nebula’s known for its black holes, and even with the right gear, they’d be pretty hard to navigate around...”

“Yeah but come on, Syl, it can’t be THAT dangerous if a bank’s sendin’ all its dough through it, right?” Ryder argued. 

“I guess...” She gave him a stern look, “Just make sure the plan is solid. REALLY solid. Cause I swear to grop, Ryder, if I end up fallin’ in one of those black holes, I’m either gonna drag you in with me, or I’m gonna haunt you for the rest of your life. Got it?!”

Ryder chuckled. Grop, he had the greatest partner, but she could be such a worrier at times! “I’m more worried about gettin’ caught on the actual ship. Glorn knows a bank famous and wealthy enough to need a giant space ship to transfer their cash on would wanna throw us into jail for life and make sure we stay there just for tryin’ to take any of it. But trust me, Syl, I’ll make sure this thing is fool-proof!”

“Hmph, you’d better.” With that, Sylvia laid down and curled up, quickly falling asleep. Still smiling, Ryder laid back on his own sleeping bag and stretched, closing his eyes as he adjusted his visor. He meant what he said when he told her that he was going to make sure the plan was perfect. But, at the same time, he also knew it would be no trouble whatsoever. Just another successful adventure/heist that they could add to their names.

After all, it would have to take more than some rassa frassin’ ship guards and a few flab drassin’ black holes to take them out...

()()()()()()()()()()

_“-You may just come in handy...”_

He hadn’t been planning on betraying her the way he had. Honestly, he hadn’t. ...At least, not at the beginning. Not after jumping back into an exciting, action-filled adventure only seconds after running into her again for the first time in several years. But, that was the thing about time:

Things changed... And Sylvia had a new partner.

Though, if there was one good thing about that, it was that he wasn’t a jerk. ...The exact opposite, in fact. That furry chicken-leg seemed like the nicest flarpin’ guy in the universe! Still, he couldn’t help but think that their adventure would’ve been a bit more fun - and _definitely_ a lot easier - without him.

But despite all the screw-ups Wander had caused, Ryder still found himself enjoying most of the trip. After all, while she may have gotten a bit older and had gotten herself a new partner, Sylvia hadn’t lost a single step. Just as fast and strong and clever as he remembered. So much so that had it not been for Wander, it would have been _exactly_ just like old times.

But, whether he liked it or not, Wander was there. At least he wasn’t a jerk. But maybe he could’ve been just a tiny bit of a jerk or rebellious or something like that. Of course, Ryder had to bite his tongue whenever these thoughts came up, if only to keep from making the little furball cry or ‘hurt his feelings’ or whatever, which would DEFINITELY make Sylvia angry at him. Though, he felt a bit of satisfaction when he felt and heard his old partner start to get annoyed with the helping weirdo too. After all, who wouldn’t after all the stuff he was pullin’? 

So, needless to say, it was a heck of a relief when Wander had just stopped following them. ...Only problem was, he had been the only one to feel that relief. Not only that but, as it turned out, Sylvia had ended up changing a lot more than he originally thought she did...

_“Wait. You're rich?! What happened to giving this stuff back to the people Hater stole it from? ...Just 'cause Wander likes helping out, it doesn't make him soft!”_

Ryder had always sorta known about his partner’s softer side, no matter how much she tried to hide it with her fists and her admittedly-impressive list of angry insults and swear words. It was the side of her that would always sorta be reluctant about stealing if the person didn’t completely deserve it, or the side that would only be willing to hurt someone if they attacked first or if they were a total flarf narbler. 

But, at the same time, that side of her had never stopped her from wanting to complete a mission before! It never stopped her jumping right into a pile of treasure with him and flicking coins at his head whenever he started acting all overly excited about the two of them being rich, and it _certainly_ never made her want to turn back just to make sure some annoying, furry weirdo hadn't stopped being all happy and helpful for once. 

...However, a pretty big interruption had stopped him from bringing up all these points. Yeahhh, probably should’ve figured that a storage facility that big and valuable would have a secret alarm...

Over all his years of stealing and running, most of Ryder’s experience came from dealing with cops or guards. Soldiers however were a different story, and besides, these eyeball guys weren’t just ANY soldiers... Maybe he hadn’t heard too much about Lord Hater, but he definitely knew enough to know that the guy didn’t play around. No chance of bail or a lighter sentence with an evil overlord... 

Needless to say, they had to get out of there.

... _He_ had to get out of there.

With dozens, maybe even HUNDREDS of blasters already pointed at him, he jumped out of the treasure and pressed his back up against his partner’s. ...No, not _his_ partner.

He could hear her asking what they should do as his own mind raced with thoughts and decisions. “What’ll it be?”  _“Well it don’t exactly feel like we are when you decide to run off and I’m stuck havin’ to find a way out of there myself!”_  “Number 19? Number 46?”  _“Just no more bailing, got it?”_

He squeezed his fists, the gold and colored jade on his wrists jangling slightly. As bad as he was, he tried not to break too many promises to his partner... But that promise was a long time ago, and she wasn’t really his partner anymore, was she?

“...I’m thinkin’... Number 1. As in, lookin’ out for!” Turning around as quickly as he could, he shoved her forward before turning on his heel and running for it. 

It was wrong... but it didn’t matter! After all, this was Sylvia! She always knew how to get herself out of anything! She had a lot more experience with these eyeball guys anyway, they would be a piece of cake to her! Not to mention that furry little helper she had on her side now, he’d probably give her a hand once he came back! And if he didn’t, well... Knowing how his old partner was now, what if she tried to surrender, or force him to give back all the gold he’d swipe, or... or say it was all his idea? 

No way was he going to take that chance. She would be fine without him, and now he just needed to continue on like he always did. He could worry about making all this grop up to her later. Right now, he just needed to do what he was best at, and keep what was really Number 1 safe.

“So long, Syl!” he shouted, unable to help but smirk a bit as he thought of all the stunned and probably clueless soldiers behind him, “Told ya you’d come in handy-!” 

And that was when he felt the familiar yet still pretty flarping painful sensation of a direct hit from a blaster, followed by the hard, cold floor of the storage facility.

()()()()()()()()()()

Frederick kept insisting that he had gone through the ‘five stages of grief’, but Ryder didn’t care what it was called. All he knew was for the first time, Sylvia _didn’t_ come back. 

She didn’t meet up with him later, she hadn’t even really yelled at him or gave him a ‘goodbye and flarp you’. She and her new partner just got him off the exploding storage unit, and then promptly dumped him on some bare, dusty old moon with only a giant, overly talkative, know-it-all space worm for company.

...He knew part of him deserved it, and yeah maybe he had been a bit too willing to throw Sylvia on the bus but, come on! They were dealing with Lord Hater’s army! Could he really be blamed for that?! Besides, it wasn’t as if this was the first time he had done something like this, and she had never taken it this personally before. 

“Hmph, you’d think with her bein’ such a goody-goody now, she’d be even more willing to come back...” the thief mumbled to himself as he kicked at a bit of dirt.

“...Perhaps she wanted you to feel how it felt to be abandoned, hmm?”

Ryder’s scowl deepened. “I thought I told you to get lost.”

“It’s a small planet,” Frederick replied simply as he leaned on a nearby rock, “And unless I want to travel in space for a few hours to find a new planet, I don’t exactly have many places to go.”

The bluenette just rolled his eyes, mumbling another insult under his breath. Frederick didn’t pay it much attention though. After about two weeks of hearing him yell, shout insults, and tell him to shut up, most of the things Ryder said now just went in one ear-hole and out the other.

Their planet started to fall silent once more. Ryder could feel a bit of wind brush against him, and held his arms. No wood to make a fire and no blaster to make a spark, so he’d have to find another cavern to sleep in soon. They were still cold, but at least they were shelter. At the very least, there were small critters to eat, plus non-perishable foods and a canteen or so of water that he’d saved up in his jacket pocket. He wasn’t completely screwed yet.

Frederick glanced over at him. “So... Now that you’ve finally reached ‘acceptance’, are you ready to talk about your issues now? I can assure you, I can be a decent listener when I want to be.”

“Go jump in a black hole.”

The worm’s face flattened, and he gave a small sigh. “Fine, fine. I’ll leave you be. ...But you know, if you don’t figure out why you’re like this, you’ll never make any progress.”

“...The grop are you talking about?” Ryder said, finally looking over at his giant ‘therapist’, “Look buddy, maybe I haven’t had too many big scores lately, but I’m still ‘makin’ progress’! I’m still able to feed myself. Steal some loose wallets from unsuspecting grab-drawlers, outwit any cop that tries to bring me in- Trust me, I’ve been doing this for _years!_ ...And I don’t need a partner to help me survive.”

Frederick stared at him for a few seconds, giving a small hum. Ryder gave him a glare, despite knowing it wouldn’t exactly be effected, but nevertheless continued glaring until the worm spoke up again. “You consider success of any size or value to be the most important outcome, then?”

“Well duh,” he said, “I mean, wouldn’t you?”

“Depends. What is your definition on success?”

Ryder didn’t even have to think of an answer for that one. “Not dying,” he said firmly, “And gettin’ whatever you can get away with is a pretty nice bonus too.” Getting away without getting arrested, badly hurt or killed was always a success in his book, but getting away with it plus getting some food or cash or an amazing and expensive treasure to use or sell? That was a total win.

“I see...” Frederick nodded, a flash of approval in his eye. Ryder blinked, but didn’t turn away. Just what was this know-it-all getting at now? “So, the most important things to you are, in order: Your life, money, and supplies?”

“Yeah,” Ryder repeated, letting a bit of agitation slip into his voice, “What, you need me to simplify it even more for you, egghead?”

“No no, I understand that part,” he told him, keeping his voice calm and casual, “However, what I would like to know is: Where do partners fall for you on your list of importance?”

The thief froze, his scowl falling for just a moment. “...Partners come and go,” he finally replied after nearly half a minute of thinking about it, “And besides, if they’re good partners, they can take care of themselves. They don’t slow you down, and they know when it’s time to split up so we don’t both get the axe.”

“But isn’t the whole point of being partners is to have someone you can rely on when you’re in trouble?” Frederick inquired, quickly making Ryder’s scowl return.

“Yeah well, not everyone is reliable, okay?!” He sure as flarf wasn’t.

“Ah. So there were times when Sylvia was the one abandoning you then?”

Again, the worm’s words had stunned him. “Wait, what?! No, she never ditched me.” Which made it all the more aggravating when she finally did.

Frederick leaned in a bit. “Did she ever threaten to abandon you if she didn’t like a scheme you had or felt it was too dangerous for her?”

“No! I mean, she’d complain sometimes or say she didn’t totally approve, but she’d always have my back!”

“What about suspicions about being double crossed? Did she ever try to get some alone time with the money you two stole, or being the first one to insist that the two of you split up for a plan, or-?”

“NO, ALRIGHT?!” Ryder snapped, shouting right in the worm’s face now and not caring if doing so got him eaten, “She never did any of that grop so just tell me what the hell you’re getting at?!”

Frederick said nothing. He didn’t even try barring his teeth at the thief, yet his huge unblinking yellow eye gave off enough intimidation to keep Ryder in place and not walk away out of annoyance. No, Frederick had his full attention, and he was going to use it. 

“So Sylvia never showed any signs of being willing to abandon you or plans to secretly double cross you. But if that’s the case... Then why did you think she would?”

Ryder opened his mouth to reply, but nothing of substance came out. “I-... I-I...”

Frederick finally closed his massive eye, and stood up straight once more, giving Ryder a bit of space. However, that didn’t mean their conversation was over. “What about when you lie to a stranger? How do you know that they’ll try to double cross you later on, or that they’ll only help you if you tell them what they want to hear?”

“I, I dunno,” Ryder said with a light shrug, “I, I just know, alright?”

“How?” It was just one small question, one simple word - yet it caused the thief’s own words to spill out of him before he even realized what he was saying: 

“Because it’s what I would do if I were them.”

The wind was starting to pick up. Ryder hung his head slightly to try and protect his face using the large collar of his shirt. ...Yeah, that was the only reason he had to hang his head. Totally the only reason...

He could hear Frederick give another small hum. “...Sylvia seems like a lovely person. Certainly tough, but also very nice from what I’ve heard.”

“...Yeah, she’s alright,” Ryder mumbled. Another lie. Syl had been great... Heck, she was STILL great despite being a ‘good guy’ now. The best partner he’d ever had... and not just because she could always outrun the cops or could knock out several people in ten seconds flat.

“Yet you still thought she would eventually betray you,” Frederick added, his eye still closed and his voice neutral. But even without a tone of judgement, Ryder still felt the guilt creeping in. However, he didn’t outwardly admit his guilt... But he didn’t try to defend himself anymore either.

Frederick opened his eye again, his gaze now softer and much less intense than before, yet it was still squarely focused on Ryder. “You believe that even the best partners can’t be completely trusted, because you know _you_ can’t be completely trusted. You consider strangers to be people to be selfish and to be suspicious of before you even know them, yet you don’t even bother giving any honesty or reward to them in the first place. ...Why do you think that is?”

“...Why don’t you tell me?” Ryder said quietly, his hands now hanging loosely by his sides.

“Because it’s _your_ question to answer,” Frederick replied firmly, putting his tiny hands on his hips.

The thief sighed, pressing a hand against his forehead before lazily running it through his hair. “I dunno... I just- I just figured that... that everyone else only looks out for themselves when things start gettin’ rough, so I should do the same. And that I’m setting myself up for failure or for gettin’ myself killed if I don’t.” He finally glanced away as his voice got softer. “...Strong people know how to take care of themselves, and smart people know that no one else is gonna take care of ya for you...”

Out of the corner of his visor, Ryder saw the worm give a small nod. He didn’t agree, but he didn’t disagree either. He just understood, and - as annoying as the guy had been the past couple weeks - Ryder could at least appreciate that.

“There’s nothing wrong with self-preservation and not wanting to die before your time,” he began to say as his long, furry body began to shift slightly, “But I’d try to remember this: Even the strongest and the cleverest of people still need someone in their lives.” 

With that, Frederick stood up straighter, and his body began to slide out of the underground tunnel he had been sitting in. In the days that he had been trapped there with him, Frederick had never once tried to attack or even eat the bluenette thief. But even so, Ryder still instinctively took a few steps back when he saw him coming out.

Not that it really mattered, since the worm was so fast and was slinking around on the ground within just a few seconds. In no time at all, he had formed a decent-sized circle around Ryder with his body. But, instead of tightening his body and making the space around his would-be prey smaller, he simply laid his head down and sighed. 

Ryder however just blinked, needing to take a moment or two to figure out what had just happened. ...Within that time, he realized that not only was he not going to be eaten, but that the worm’s large, warm body had completely shielded him from the wind and the coldness of the planet.

“The nights here are fairly chilly, I’ll admit that,” he heard Frederick say after giving a small yawn, “But when you’ve got the fur for it, they aren’t too bad.”

“...Yeah, makes sense,” Ryder mumbled, giving a small nod. It definitely didn’t seem too bad now, and between the warmth and his now lack of emotional energy, the thief soon found himself yawning. “Hmm...” He felt hungry, but he’d already eaten earlier that day, so it wasn’t as if he was starving. Plus, it would be a pretty big pain to have to leave the warm space just for a little bite to eat.

So with that, even if he wouldn’t exactly call it the smartest decision, Ryder laid down on the dirt and curled up next to the giant space worm. And as he adjusted his visor for the night, he knew there was a pretty good chance he wouldn’t be waking up in the morning if he accepted Frederick’s ‘help’ - Giant space worms have to eat, after all, and he’d be a sitting appetizer. But, at the same time-

_“Even the strongest and the cleverest of people still need someone in their lives...”_

_“...You’re lucky my partner here makes me a better person.”_

“...” Ryder sighed, “Flarp it. What do I got to lose anyway?” So with another yawn, he closed his eyes, allowing memories of previous adventures - and previous mistakes - flow across the backs of his eyelids like scenes from a movie.

‘...Those days really are over, huh?’ he thought to himself. Sylvia had a new partner, and he had betrayed her one too many times. ...But, maybe it was for the best, and maybe he could still make it up to her one day. For now though, he just had to do what he always did:

Survive, keep traveling, and leave no tracks until he found his next heist to take on or adventure to go on! He could still live that way... Right? 

‘...But, maybe I can fit a couple more of these worm talks in there too,’ he added as sleep finally started to take hold of him, ‘Just a couple more though... Wouldn’t want him to start naggin’ me again or talkin’ my ear off...” 

Who knows? Maybe these talks weren’t such a totally bad idea, and maybe he could trust Frederick, just a little... Maybe he could even find a new partner just like Sylvia had, and... and maybe he could somehow have a ‘Number 2′ next to his Number 1 on the top of his list. It was crazy but, maybe just this once...

Maybe one day...

**THE END**


End file.
